The Setting Sun
by Twin A 07
Summary: How could anything get any worse?... Had the situation been in reverse order, he’d be at his side... He couldn't let the Sun set before he got there... He'd been to late.. Because the sun had set behind him.


There was no way it could get any worse than what it was. How could it? How could anything get any worse? He sat on a rock out in the middle of the woods. He should've been at home. He should've been there with _him. _There, next to _his_ side. After all, had the situation been in reverse order, _he'd_ be at his side. _He_ would do any thing; find anyway to make it all better. Yet he was away. _His_ best friend had been the first to arrive. He'd been here for weeks, before _he_ fell silent. At the time though, the screams had been unbearable. The screams kept him awake at night. He used to hide his head under his pillow, as if that would have stopped the screaming somehow. Yet his Saiyan ears made that impossible.

He cursed his Saiyan heritage. Even when he went outside to play, he could hear _his_ screams. When he was miles away gathering herbs that would dull the pain, he could hear _his_ screams. Or perhaps that wasn't his Saiyan ears. Maybe, maybe it was his heart. Maybe his heart could hear _his_ screams… Feel _his_ pain. Yet for the entire world, he had to blame it on someone… On Something. So he blamed his Saiyan blood. He could stop a bullet, crush a mountain, but he couldn't take _his_ pain away. He was, in every sense of the word, helpless. He hated that feeling.

Pulling his legs up to his chest, he wrapped his arms around them, burying his head in his arms. Sobs racked his body. He was suppose to be strong for her. He had to be. So, when at home, he was. He held back his tears. He bit back his sobs. To give her some comfort, he smiled. He told her that _he_ would be all right. That _he'd_ pull through and apologize for worrying them. Nothing bad was going to happen to _him_… _He_ wouldn't leave them. He told her that to give her hope… To reassure her. At least, that's what he told himself. Maybe, he was trying to convince himself. Was he trying to give himself hope?

That had all changed a few weeks ago. _He_ had fallen silent. They were relieved. It meant _he_ wasn't in pain anymore. _He_ was going to get well. It had given them so much hope. _He_ wasn't screaming anymore. It meant _he_ wasn't in pain. It was suppose to mean _he'd_ get better. _He_ was suppose to wake up and apologize. But _he_ just lay there, silent. Now he would have given anything to hear a scream. _He_ was to quiet. He didn't like it at all. He often found himself next to _his_ bed, watching _his_ chest rise and fall. It meant _he_ was still with them. There was still hope. _He_ knew how much they loved _him_, right? How much they needed _him_? He wouldn't leave them. _He_ just couldn't…

The sobs grew louder. He was suppose to be strong. Not just for her now. Not just for himself either. He had to be strong for everyone. He knew they worried about him. They took time out of they day to help them around the house… Whether it be cleaning, shopping, or just being there. He appreciated it. He knew she did as well. But they all still cried, they all still feared. He couldn't cry. He was a warrior. He had to be strong. Warriors didn't shed tears. But he was afraid. For all that he'd seen, he was afraid. He rose his head a few inches to look at himself in the water. His eyes were red and puffy. His hair fell into his eyes. He wiped his face dry of tears with his arm.

_He_ wouldn't like it if he were crying. But, how would any of them know what _he_ wanted? _He_ couldn't tell them. And, although they denied it, _he_ would never tell them. _He_ would tell them anything ever again. Everyone had started to gather at the house this morning. She'd called and told them. _He_… wasn't going to wake up. Not now… Not… Ever. He knew… He'd known all along. Yet he couldn't accept it… Didn't want to accept it. So he'd ran. He didn't know where he'd run to, but he couldn't stay there. Everyone was gathered at his house… Everyone but him.

Sighing, he made his way back slowly to his house. There wasn't going to be any happiness… Only death and sorrow. That's what awaited him… And he wasn't to keen to head back there. As he made his way home, he stared at his shadow. It grew longer as the sun began to set. He was sure it was a beautiful sun set… Mocking his sorrow.

It couldn't get any worse. It just couldn't. But Kami seemed to have no mercy today. He felt his heart skip a beat as his blood ran cold. His eyes widened in fear. No… Kami please no. This was natural… Even if _he_ hadn't been before… _He_ couldn't be brought back… Not even with the Namekian balls. This time it as for keeps. Oh Kami… Why now? They still needed _him_.

He quickly ran through the forest. He had to get home. Maybe… If he was there, he could help _him_ fight. As childish as it sounded, it made him run faster. Behind him, the sun was setting. He couldn't let it set before he got there. When the sun set… He knew. He could feel _his_ weakened Ki vanishing. Oh he knew… When the sun set, it would take _him_ with it. Faster and faster still he ran. Even when his legs burned and the stitch in his side grew he ran. And yet the sun continued to set behind him.

There, he could make out his house. He could make out his friends. They were gathered outside. He ran past his friends and into the house. He didn't stop until he threw open the bedroom door. For all his peed… For all his strength… He couldn't help _him_. She turned to him, tears falling down her cheeks. She spoke to him, but he didn't hear. His eyes were wide, as he shook his head slightly in disbelieve. He stared at _him_, at _his_ lifeless body. He felt no Ki; _his_ chest didn't raise and fall.

And in that moment he cursed his Saiyan heritage. For all his strength, all his speed… He couldn't save the one person who meant everything to him. His father lie in the bed lifeless. _He_ didn't scream, _he_ didn't feel pain. And he'd been to late to even say good-bye. Because even with all his speed and strength, the sun had set behind him… Taking with it the one man that mattered to them all.

Twin A 07 – Okay. I was u all night bored out of my mind. At about 12:30 A.M I figured I'd go to bed. WRONG. I had the sudden urge to write a Fanfic. So here I am, typing up a story at two in the morning. Needless to say I'm still not tired. Oh well. This is set during Future Trunks' timeline… Obviously. I always wondered what Gohan had felt during that time. And where he was running home from. The italicized words are referring to Goku. I figured that it would probably be painful for everyone in the DB world to mention his name, and I wanted to story to fit along those lines. Please tell me what you thought of it. I really don't plan on continuing the story, so it's a One-shot. R&R Please!! And Happy New Years!


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